Polycystic Kidney Disease: Fear

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Polycystic Kidney Disease: Fear
Author: CoachRichie
• Monday, May 10th, 2010

When a kidney disease patient faces dialysis, it is normal and natural for that individual to experience and express fear.

First of all, being told you will need dialysis to stay alive is not the most pleasant piece of news to receive.

Also, the circumstances under which you receive that piece of information will greatly contribute to the way that you will react.

Thirdly, if you happen to have or have had a parent who has undergone dialysis, your reaction to the news that you also will need it will be affected by your perception of what your parent went through.

In other words, the fear you are experiencing about the prospect of  needing dialysis to stay alive is largely dependent on your perceptions. Facts are only a small part of what contributes to your fear.

The capability of experiencing fear is good. It keeps us out of trouble. Sometimes, it keeps us out of pleasant experiences. How many times have I turned down an invitation for a new experience because I was “afraid” I would make a fool out of myself!

But dialysis is a different matter.

Having fear of dialysis puts your whole body-mind-soul in a state of avoidance. Think of a 2-year old baby, who, after experiencing some injections from her doctor is subsequently presented with an “opportunity” to go to the doctor again. You will be witness to a great “avoidance” response!

Guess what? We are still that 2-year old baby! We all want to avoid pain!

In this case, however, avoiding dialysis means death!

You cannot escape it!

I will not tell you that you are “supposed” to eliminate fear. I wouldn’t recommend eliminating fear. As I said, fear is a good thing when the fear is “rational.”

Yet I will recommend reducing the level of fear towards dialysis by means of educating yourself about dialysis. Learn about dialysis in general, the two main modalities of dialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, along with the means of applying these modes.

There are plenty of websites which have the information you need to get a better understanding of what dialysis is all about.

And, perhaps even more importantly, connect with people who are currently undergoing dialysis. Most of then will be happy to share their experiences with you if you approach them in a friendly, “ready, willing, and able to learn” attitude.

Knowledge conquers fear. Take advantage of the sources of information available to you. And if you need to talk to someone about dialysis, I can probably help you connect with someone who will share his/her experiences.

Remember, fear = False Evidence Appearing Real.

Peace and Blessings!

Coach Richie Perl

Certified Professional Coach

Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming

http://innergameofpkd.com/2010/05/10/polycystic-kidney-disease-fear/